Louder: Metallica at Download night one: metal's biggest band slay Donington after more than a decade away
"Download!" bellows James Hetfield before lurching straight into the crunching, stomping riff of Harvester Of Sorrow, the band completing an opening trio of killer 80s tracks with a menacing Leper Messiah. Playing on a stage that branches out into a donut ring, lucky Snake Pit pass holders poured into the middle, Metallica certainly make the most of Download's upscaled production: the Apex Stage's six impressive, water tower-esque screens are plastered with stunning visuals, intercepted with colourised footage of the band that makes sure everyone, no matter how far back, gets an eyeful.
